Syncables 5.1 review

Should I buy Syncables 5.1?

Expert's rating:

SugarSync stole the lead on Syncables and only time will tell if these features are enough to make users switch. It looks great, works seamlessly with your files and is nothing short of a bargain.

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Syncables 5.1
full review

In the increasingly crowded device integration market it takes something a bit special to catch our jaded eye. Fortunately, Syncables is very shiny indeed. It enters a market with established players and big names sucking up all the attention. SugarSync has attracted good reviews from pundits in the last year, while Apple’s own MobileMe has gradually gathered fans following a sticky start.

Syncables, on the other hand, is early in its release cycle – with a desktop application already available and cloud synchronisation probably ready for primetime by the time you read this. We’ll stick to what we were able to use for now – but if the features we were able to try are anything to go by, SugarSync has some serious competition.

Like other file syncing applications, Syncables is used for copying designated files between computers and devices. The application comes in Windows, Mac and Linux versions – so whether your files are on a MacBook, a netbook running Ubuntu, or the PC at work, it’s all the same to Syncables.

For us, the killer difference between Syncables and the jostling crowd of synchronisation wannabes is that it treats your files like objects, not indiscriminate clumps of zeroes and ones. It has built-in features for browsing and displaying images, video and music, for example. You can stream linear media over your network – or even publish files direct to Facebook and other services.

This is carried through to direct integration with key applications, like Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird. It doesn’t just back your mail up to another place – it synchronises both applications on target machines.